Frozen Flames Part One
by AleinaReigning
Summary: Takes place right before the Kyoshi Warrior arc in the series. Katara is wounded and at the mercy of Prince Zuko, and Aang and Sokka cannot save her. What will happen when Zuko  spends time with her? Zutara, read and review. Part Two coming soon!
1. Chapter 1: Caught

Frozen Flames Part One

Zuko and Katara's Story

Caught

"Again." ordered Iroh, and Zuko sighed heavily, his brow furrowed. The sun had begun to set against the vast ocean, and the fire benders standing across the deck from the banished prince once more raised their arms, assuming a defensive position. Zuko took a deep breath, and felt the heat rise in his gut. He launched himself forward as fire exploded from his fists, and with a roar of fury and frustration he attacked.

Only moments later, both soldiers lay on the ground, defeated. Zuko allowed himself a faint smile, and looked back at his uncle. Iroh paused in pouring himself some tea, and his gaze swept across the fallen benders. He nodded slightly and turned away.

"Do it again." Zuko felt a different kind of burning, and instead of sparring his soldiers again, he shook off his robe and walked below deck, silently fuming.

Meanwhile, miles away, Katara and Aang stood on the back of Appa's saddle, sending fluidly sharp blasts of liquid at each other as each blow was blocked by more water. Sokka sat next to Momo watching the benders and cleaning his boomerang. After a while, Katara straightened up out of her stance and bowed slightly to the Avatar. "You're getting better at aiming, but your movements still need some work. Try to be softer when you're transitioning from one pose to another, but also remember to be firm when you strike. Got it?"

Aang smiled at her. "Yeah, thanks for helping me. I'm going to have to know how to perform the basics if we run into Zuko again. Last time we fought, it was like his anger somehow made his bending stronger. Even with my air bending he was too powerful to hold off for long." He paused for a minute, then looked at Sokka. "How are we doing on food supply?" he asked, and her brother shook his head and rolled his eyes.

"Same as ever, not quite as much as we should have but enough to tempt me." His gaze slid over to the food bag, and his stomach rumbled loud enough for everyone to hear. "We should get some food soon, I'm starving and Momo is looking more and more like dinner every minute." Momo chirped, looking alarmed, and Katara looked around.

"Well, maybe we could find a boat or something nearby that would sell us some food, considering we're in the middle of an ocean and the closest land is Fire Nation." she rolled her eyes, then did a double take as she set her gaze onto an object far off. "Wait, I think there's something out there. Aang, can we fly nearby and see if they have anything we could buy? We're running low on fresh water too." she said, sounding worried.

"Sure, lets go! And if they're bad, we can just get out of there before anyone sees us!" Aang propelled himself onto the back of Appa's head and grabbed the reins, steering him to the left and unknowingly right into the path of their enemy.

Zuko was in his quarters when he heard shouts coming from the men on his ship. The captain rushed through the open doorway, and as soon as he said the words "The Avatar has been spotted" Zuko was pushing past him and sprinting to the deck, his heart beating in his throat. Finally, a chance for honor, he could not lose it this time if his life depended on it.

A catapult was loaded, and two seconds later a huge fireball was spinning towards the bison. Zuko watched as the beast veered in the air, and as a body slowly slid over the side of the saddle and down, down, down into the water only about a hundred yards from the ship. Zuko sent two of his men overboard to retrieve the person, and hoped it was the Avatar. The bison hovered in the air, narrowly dodging attacks from all sides.

"No, Aang, we have to get her, we have to go back!" Sokka yelled, and scrambled to the edge of the saddle, watching frantically for signs of Katara resurfacing. He saw a small figure below, and zeroed in on Katara, floating motionless on the top of the water. "AANG! Please!"

"I know Sokka, I'm trying to get lower to the water without getting us all killed!" Aang yelled back, straining to rescue her. He felt desperate as he saw the fire benders small metal boat speeding towards the place where she had dropped, and too late, realized he had focused his attention on the wrong thing. He turned back to the larger ship just as a fireball came blasting towards them. It was too close to stop, and without thinking he spun his staff and a rush of wind howled forward to blast the fire-doused rock into smaller chunks. The smaller portions had too much momentum, and the world faded to black as he felt a sickening pain strike his head, as Sokka's yells disappeared into silence.

Sokka watched as a rock hit Aang, and knew there was nothing he could do. He thought quickly, if he tried to save Katara from the people on the boat he risked getting captured, and Aang was in no condition to fight Zuko. He knew his sister was safe for the time being, and he knew how to find her if she was with Zuko. As more fireballs came crashing down all around them, he grabbed Appa's reins and turned around, leaving her behind in order to save her later.

Katara woke up the next morning, and opened her eyes to an empty room. The walls were a deep crimson color, and the bold, black Fire Nation emblem dominated the ceiling. She panicked and shot up off the bed, then collapsed to the ground as pain radiated from her head, back, and stomach. She curled into a ball on the ground and closed her eyes as the world spun.

"I wouldn't try that again if I were you."

Katara lifted her head to see Zuko leaning against the doorway with a strange look on his face. He wasn't glaring like she was used to, he was staring straight into her eyes like he was looking through her. The strange amber color of his irises flickered in the candlelight, and she took a deep breath and pushed herself up into a sitting position.

"What did you do to me? Why am I here, and where's Aang and Sokka? She asked, her voice cracking under her despair. Zuko stepped towards her, and she backed away from him, holding her ribs. "S-stay away from me." she murmured, and he stopped. She tried to take a deep, calming breath, and found her wind stolen by the sharp pain in her side. She whimpered, and once again he moved forward. He placed his hand on her side, and the other on her shoulder, stilling her movements. Her skin felt like satin.

"Quit moving so much, you fell a long way into the ocean, and you've been injured. The Avatar and your brother escaped," he muttered, gritting his teeth at the last sentence. There was something about this girl. Her skin was darker, but it shone with a dim glow, and her eyes were wide and clear, so unlike the narrowed, mistrusting eyes of his family. She didn't look so defiant at the moment, and he found himself cringing along with her when she was hurting. He had never felt this empathy before. It was disconcerting, and he wasn't sure if he liked it at all.

"They'll come back for me," she assured him, and he wrinkled his nose at her tone. Was she mocking him? He stood up and offered her his hand, and when she flinched, expecting an attack, he withdrew it, mentally hitting himself for showing kindness.

"While you are on this ship you will be taken care of by me and by the only other woman we have on board. If you try to escape, we will kill you. If you mind your manners, you might just see your friends again." He let his voice turn cold, and walked out of the room without looking back, slamming the door behind him as he went.

As soon as he left, Katara let her body wilt, and felt tears gather in her eyes. Yet at the same time, she was confused. Zuko had been almost kind to her, and nothing like his usual self. She had never looked him in the eye before. Though one half of his face was scarred, the other half was pure porcelain, and his eyes glowed with a sort of fire, not so much searing as smoldering. She took off her outer dress layer then dragged herself to the mattress and bended some water from the wash bin to press against her body, trying to heal herself. The cool liquid soothed her, and she fell asleep.

An hour later, Zuko went to check on her, and found her sleeping. She was dressed in a light slip, and her dark hair was spread around her face. He looked closer and saw a red stain coming from her side, and felt his stomach churn. He walked silently to her, and lifted the slip above her shorts to reveal a gash in her side, slowly trickling blood. He didn't know how it had happened, but we guessed she had hit something below the surface of the water in her fall. Zuko looked around, brought the wash bin closer and ripped a strip off his robe. He dipped it in the water and as quietly as possible started to clean the wound. He froze when he heard her gasp, but she didn't wake up. He had no clue how to do this, or even why he was helping her, but it gave him a strange sort of pleasure, different than the tainted joy everything else in his life held for him. Once he was done, he tore more strips from his robe and wound them around her waist, trying to staunch the flow and bandage the cut. His fingers pressed down firmly and glided over her skin, and he noticed her shivering. Her room was dark and cold, with no furnishings other than the bed and the wooden bucket holding water for her to bathe in. He smiled faintly as an idea formed in his head, and got to his feet, walking confidently out the door to her prison.

Katara woke up warmer than she'd been in ages. She opened her eyes to see a small flickering fire in the corner of her room, and next to it was a small cup full of a translucent yellow green liquid. She started to sit up, but froze when she felt something foreign and binding against her side. Slowly she moved her hand under her slip and felt the fabric wrapped around her wound, dulling the pain. She bit her lip, confused and unsure. Why was someone showing her kindness on this ship? She was not only a water bender, but the Avatar's friend. There was no reason to be nice… unless it was a trap. Unless somehow, it wasn't acts of kindness but something to hurt her more?

Frantically she tore at the bandage, wincing at the pain but pressing on until the wound was once more free. She threw the cloth aside, but a flicker of gold in the deep red fabric caught her eye. Katara's heart beat faster as she ran her thumb lightly over the Z embroidered on the cloth. "This was Zuko's?" she murmured quietly to herself. Numbly she set it down on the ground, and stumbled to the wash bin to clean herself off. She absently noticed that they had given her enough water to clean herself, but not enough for her to bend into a water whip to slice through her prison, or even harm anyone. Not that she was in any condition to be fighting anyway. Her wounds were on their way to healing though, she guessed that once she was better it would take some effort and a lot of bending to escape. But could she even find Aang and Sokka if she managed it? Her thoughts were interrupted when the door to her cell slid open. She turned around, and her blue eyes widened as she backed away.


	2. Chapter 2: Attacked

Attacked

Zuko was on deck, training, when he heard a commotion below deck. Iroh ran up the stairs to his nephew, huffing at the exercise. "The girl- prisoner, a guard is in her room with the door locked, we can hear him shouting and fire bending- come quickly, Zuko!" He felt a deep, black feeling bubble in his throat, and pushed past Iroh, running to Katara's cell. There were four soldiers outside the door, pushing and groaning against the metal. Over the sound of their struggle, he heard a man's deep voice, and the high, terrified scream of the water bender.

"Stand back!" he roared, and the people were barely out of the way before he sent a blast of fire straight at the latch. It burst apart, and he kicked the door open, looking around wildly. The girl sat in the corner, cowering behind a weak shield of water. The guard stood before her, blades of fire clutched in his fists.

"Your people killed my brother! Murderer!" He screamed, and kicked at her, his foot connecting with her stomach. She coughed, and fell over onto her side, the water dropping to the ground to soak her body and mingle with the blood from her wounds. As the fire bender raised his flame, Zuko tackled him from behind with a howl of fury. The fire bender submitted immediately, not daring to throw an attack at his prince. He looked up into the face of his commander, twisted with rage. The yellow eyes no longer were human, with each pitiful keen from the girl behind him, Zuko's anger grew.

Then suddenly, he unleashed it. A wave of heat knocked the guard down, he screamed in pain as the prince's flames branded his skin. "Get him out of my sight," Zuko spat out, and two soldiers came forward to take the guard out of the room. They avoided his eyes, as did the rest of his crew. He started to come down from his anger, started to realize just what he had done. He turned back to Katara, lying unconscious on the floor, and went to her panting form. Her slip was scorched, and her skin bore scratches, bruises, and streaks of ash from where the fire bender had tormented her. He let his fingers pinch along her arms and legs and run lightly down her sides- no broken bones.

Still- Katara was in rough shape, and he felt so out of sorts, he needed advice or help. As soon as he thought that, his eyes widened, and he let out a short, surprised burst of laughter at his own stupidity. Then he was serious again, he picked her up gingerly and carried her up on deck to where his uncle still stood.

"Uncle… if she dies we lose the chance at luring the Avatar." The words rolled from his mouth without a thought, and he felt a pang of uneasiness in his stomach. It sounded true, and it should have been true, but why was there a metallic aftertaste on his tongue? Why did it taste like a lie? Zuko's face hardened, and he shook his head. Uncle Iroh beckoned for him to set the girl down on the floor, and Zuko obeyed immediately.

"She needs nourishment- her body is weak, she spent her energy on her water bending. She will have scars from what I am about to do, but it is necessary if she is to stop losing blood." Iroh looked up at his nephew, and furrowed his brow. He had never seen the look on Zuko's face before, he looked helpless and worried. "Zuko!" he yelled to grab his attention. Zuko tore his gaze away from the water bender and looked at his uncle, pushing his dark brown hair out of his tortured eyes. "Get water, blankets, and the bandages from the captain's quarters."

Iroh turned his attention back to Katara's wounds, the long, deep cuts from the fire benders attack and the gash in her side from her fall into the sea. He pulled heat from the center of his body, and sent it to his fingertips. Then, he lightly ran the flame along the line of the cut on her fore arm. She moaned quietly, but the wound was clean and cauterized. He did this for the remaining injuries, and silently thanked the spirits that she was unconscious for this. Zuko came back, and brought the ship's physician with him. He bent down, and before he could stop himself he brushed his finger lightly along the side of her face.

As if in a dream, Katara felt the burning sensations in her wounds fade away as a warm, rough sensation drifted down her face. She opened her eyes, and saw the blurry outline of three men around her. He heard her name, and focused in on Zuko leaning right above her head. She slowly brought her arm up, and found his hand on her cheek.

"Zuko- why?" she whispered, and his expression changed from tense and worried to tender and confused.

"I- I'm sorry. He won't touch you ever again." He muttered, and turned away, slipping his calloused fingers from beneath her weak grasp. He heard her breathing hitch, then go back to normal, and the physician started bending over, grabbing her wrist gently and muttering to himself about how shameful it was to attack a poor innocent girl, even if she was Water Tribe, what a shame indeed.

Zuko felt his uncle's hand on his shoulder. "Your soldiers are wondering why you attacked the man who did this. Zuko, I am beginning to wonder if it was really your concern for the trap you have laid for the Avatar, and not merely compassion for another human. You looked so strange, I just think maybe-"

"Shut up Uncle! You don't know what you're talking about. The Avatar is the only one I need, not this peasant and not your stupid advice, old man! Leave me alone." Zuko stormed away from his family member, back to his room. He tried to forget his uncle's words. They weren't true. They couldn't be. He'd known his entire life that affection was weakness. His father and Azula had taken care of that- even when his mother tried to teach him otherwise.

Zuko felt pain in his chest, and his hands curled into fists. Mother. He sighed, and let his hands relax as he flopped down onto his bed and turned away from his memories.


	3. Chapter 3: Melting

Melting

Two Days Later

There was an annoying pain in her side, and her eyes felt too heavy. She couldn't move, but she somehow knew she was safe. Katara let her mind wander back to the events that put her in this state.

She'd been in her room when she heard the door open. Her hands had tensed into a water bending motion waiting to happen. Even this small movement exhausted her, and even now she was too weak to heal herself. What about Aang and Sokka? Why hadn't they come for her yet? Her musings had been interrupted by an angry voice, saying angry horrible things. And pain, scorching pain only made worse by her attempts to help herself. She wasn't her normal self. She was weak.

Katara squinted her eyes against the tears, and then opened them. Light blinded her, and she closed her eyes again, head pounding. Little by little she began to see again, and as she looked around she noticed that under the cool sheet covering her body, she was nude.

Her heart started beating harder, and she felt a shock go through her. She stood up, taking the blanket with her and wrapping it around her body, toga style. Where were her clothes? How in spirits name did she get naked? She'd had her slip on…

Her door opened, and she whirled around to see Zuko staring at her open mouthed. "What are you doing in here?" she screamed, "Why am I… What did you do to me?" she shrieked, and he averted his eyes, staring instead at the ceiling as he blushed furiously and started stuttering.

"Uh- I wasn't the one to- well it was one of my soldiers who, oh! But she's a woman, like you, and well, none of us saw or did- uh… Well your clothes were kind of burned to a crisp, so I'm bringing you some new ones and you can get changed now sorry for intruding bye!" He said the last part extremely fast before practically throwing the clothes at her and tripping his way out of the room. She stopped up short with a quizzical look on her face. Since when did Zuko get flustered? When did he start _blushing_? As she walked over and stooped to pick up her clothes, she noticed a mirror had been set in the far corner of her room. She gasped at her reflection. Her hair was a mess, she had bruises everywhere- was that a scar on her arm? She looked down, and saw thin light colored lines, new scars, raised up on her skin. She would have understood if they'd been lightly scabbed over or newly healing, but these were already looking and feeling old.

Katara looked around and dropped the sheet, blushing. She got her clothes on as quickly as possible, and looked at herself doubtfully in the mirror. The fabric was soft and light, perfect for Fire Nation weather. The leggings were short, down to just above her knee and dark red in color. The skirt that went over them was longer but had slits up the sides to allow for movement, and it was lighter red. The shirt was short, and exposed her stomach- definitely strange. She'd never showed off her stomach to the world, and the haltered top did little to hide her chest completely (though thankfully it hid the scar from the gash in her ribs). It was deep red in color, with embroidered gold patterns delicately making their way down the half length sleeves. The same golden hues were visible on the edges of her skirt, as well as the burgundy robe that went over all of it. As Katara put her hands in the pocket of the robe, she found a small piece of paper and pulled it out, reading the short message.

"The man who harmed you has been brought to justice, and I have instructed my crew not to hurt you. Uncle Iroh has healed most of your injuries, including the one received from your fall, and has instructed the woman on board to give you an outfit to replace the one that was destroyed. I'm sorry. If you would like to speak to me, knock on your door from the inside and you will be escorted to my room by the guard. If you attempt to escape, be prepared for a watery grave- There's nothing out here for miles.

-Zuko"

Her head reeled. She sat on her bed for a moment, then slowly walked to the door and knocked.

"Prince Zuko, I believe you have a visitor," Uncle remarked with a smile as the water tribe girl came on deck. Zuko turned around and flushed. There wasn't any doubt in his mind that she was a pretty girl- especially when her eyes weren't narrowed in hate or mistrust. "Quite a beauty, isn't she?" Uncle teased and chuckled.

"Shut up Uncle!" Zuko groaned in disgust. _Pervy old man_, he thought. But he turned to face the girl, and was surprised to see a shy smile on her face. He reluctantly walked up to her, and ran a hand through his hair nervously. "Um. Sorry about being in your room earlier. I was just giving you the clothes… Yeah, so you found them. And everything. Right! So, what brings you up here?" he asked, trying to recover from what had to be the stupidest thing he'd ever said. He was beginning to realize that he had absolutely no clue how to talk to girls.

"Well I wanted to thank you and your uncle for helping me. I don't really know what to say…" she murmured, and blushed. This was awkward. Her enemy was taking care of her, not trying to kill her… Strange. "This is weird." she said absently, and Zuko tipped his head to one side and crinkled his nose, confused.

"What is?" he asked, and he could tell by the way she flinched and looked down that she hadn't meant to say that.

"Well, you're Fire Nation's prince, and I'm Katara of the Water Tribe. You've been hunting my friends and I for a while now, and for once you're not trying to kill us. You don't think this is weird at all?" her bluntness surprised him, and he smiled and dipped him head.

"Okay, yeah you're right this is kind of strange. But I have a good reason to want to capture the Avatar," he said, and his tone of voice was serious again, "it's the only way to restore my honor. The only way my father, the one parent I have left, will ever love me again." Katara watched as his eyes unfocused, and he seemed to be brooding. That didn't stop the anger that rose in her stomach though.

"Oh, so it's perfectly fine to kill Aang and give him to your father as a welcome home present to yourself? That's so twisted! And wrong, Zuko. Your father should love you anyway. My mother did before she died, and my father does, even though-" she stopped short, tears brimming in her eyes. He noticed her reluctance, and he stepped closer.

"What? Even though what, Katara?"

"Even though it was my fault she's dead," the girl whispered, and turned away, running back to her room as the guard chased her. Zuko started after her, but found his Iroh's hand on his shoulder.

"I think it is time we sit down with a nice, hot cup of tea, and discuss some things." Iroh said, and for once, he let his uncle lead him away instead of fighting the advice that is soon to come.


	4. Chapter 4: Choices

Choices

Once they were settled in the old man's quarters and Zuko was studiously ignoring the cup of tea Iroh put in front of him, the man looked straight into the boy's eyes, and said, "You are attached to the girl, Katara."

Zuko avoided his eyes, and ran a finger over the rough, brittle feeling skin of his scar. "Uncle, it's stupid, she's just a girl and-"

"And what, Zuko? Are you willing to use her as a trap to lure the Avatar? Are you willing to hurt another human being that you have felt compassion for? And after all she has lost. Her mother? Her friends? Zuko, if you do this I can guarantee that eventually you will regret it."

"Stop it! You're always acting like this is all just a joke to you! But it's not. Not to me," Zuko said, and his voice broke. He continued raggedly, "this is my life, my only chance at regaining my honor. This is the only way for my father to love me!" He slammed his fist down on the table, knocking over the tea. "I want to go home!" he cried, and sat breathing heavily, watching his Uncle's face for a reaction.

"You are a child." His abruptness surprised the prince, who looked at him and saw not a foolish old man, but a learned superior, who had made the same mistakes. "You think that your father will simply love you automatically? He is using you, just as you are thinking of using Katara-"

"I am not using her!" His voice was strong again, and just in time he looked up to catch the triumphant smile that crossed his uncle's face. He wished he could take the words back, but at the same time he found a strange pleasure in them. He watched as Iroh stood up, and set his empty tea cup down.

"Then I suppose she will no longer be kept as prisoner, and we can begin treating her like a guest. Cheer up a little, my nephew, and go see if she is doing any better." Zuko growled deep in his throat and walked away from the table, pushing fire out from his fists to vent his anger.

Katara was no longer crying, but her conversation with Zuko was still running through her mind. She pulled water from the wash bin once again and lifted her hair off the nape of her neck, running the cool liquid over her skin and scalp, trying to cool off. Then she bended it back into the bowl, and went to sit on her bed. She couldn't get his words out of her head. He only had his father- did that mean his mother was gone? She grasped her mother's necklace- the only Water Tribe clothing that she still had- and sighed.

"Knock knock." Zuko's voice carried from her doorframe, sounding insecure and quietly pained. She jerked around, and her eyes softened at the look on his face. She started to speak, but he cut her off. "Look, I don't know what happened with your mother, but I do know what you're feeling. Like maybe if you would have just done more to hold on to her, she'd still be here. Like maybe it's thanks to you that she's gone, and secretly everyone's blaming you for it." He ran a hand over his eyes, his scar, as flashes of Azula's spiteful glare and his father's disappointed leer surfaced in his mind. "But no matter how much you let them put it on your shoulders, how much you blame yourself, whatever…" he looked up and met her eyes. She was mesmerized by the passion burning in the amber orbs, resonating from his wasted face. "It wasn't your fault, Katara." he murmured, and she broke down into tears, ashamed but too sad to care about what he might think.

She wasn't prepared for the way he was suddenly beside her on the bed, the way he wrapped his strong arms around her. She clawed at him, blind through the liquid sorrow running down her face, raging against his strength, his damned perfection. Every time she pushed against him, he held her tighter, until her shoves turned to hands grabbing at his back and her snarls of anger transformed into the heart broken sobs of a teenage girl who missed her mother.

Zuko stroked her hair as he used to do with his sister's hair, back before she was poisoned by hate, manipulation and power. She'd had nightmares and come into his room wild eyed and disoriented, while he was sleeping, and he'd wake up to comfort her until their parents found them in the morning. They would open the door to find Zuko lying on the floor and Azula curled up in a tiny ball on his bed. He let Katara cry and stayed with her until she was calmer. They were leaned against the wall, Zuko sitting tall and strong, the water bender leaning against him. Eventually they fell asleep, his hands resting around her waist and her snuggling unconsciously to him for his warmth.

Iroh peeked his head in the door in the morning, concerned that his nephew had not gone back to his bed chamber. What he found made him smile- Zuko might not remember his little sister's nightmares and how she would commandeer his bed for her own use, but Iroh had been there many a time to see Zuko, without even a blanket, sleeping on the floor to please Azula. And now, he was once again asleep on the floor, sitting up against the bed with his head inches away from her face and his hand grasping hers while she slumbered comfortably under his outer robe. "Zuko, you always were self sacrificing for those you cared about," Uncle chuckled quietly to himself, and left them there, choosing tolerance over persecution.


	5. Chapter 5: Transformation

Transformation

In the weeks that followed, Katara watched Zuko change. She spent most of her time with him, walking about the ship, playing pai sho in his room, and simply talking to him. One of her favorite things to do was watch him train, and sometimes even spar against him. He trained without a shirt on, and she loved watching his muscles ripple under his smooth skin, hard as rocks. He was powerful and fierce, sometimes even frightening.

"Hah!" She exclaimed as she sent a blast of water forward, succeeding in throwing Zuko off balance. Se followed it up with a stream behind his feet, causing him to trip. She sprang forward, but he moved blindingly fast and twisted in mid-air, landing in a crouch. She had no time to defend herself as he blasted forward, slamming into her and knocking her to the ground. She felt her head tilting back, but was surprised to feel something cradling it to keep her from smacking her skull on the ground. She looked up at Zuko on top of her- he held the back of her head carefully but had her arms pinned down by his strong legs. His chest heaved a bit, and she was entranced by the intensity of his eyes. His face broke out into a taunting smile.

"I win," he gloated, and before she could think, his lips were pressed against hers, demanding and firm. She followed him when he pulled away, but opened her eyes to see him staring shocked at her. He got off of her carefully. "I'm sorry- I crossed the line, I didn't mean to. Damn it!" he yelled, blushing and rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. He stalked away, pushing fire from his closed fists, and left her sitting there, completely confused by the longing in her chest.

Later that evening, he invited her to dinner in his quarters like always. She changed from her simple training robe to the skirt and shirt she'd received earlier, and, looking in the mirror, decided to let her hair down. When she walked into Zuko's room, he stood up to greet her, and stopped short, staring. She blushed, but went over to him and hugged him shyly. She had been greeting him that way for a few days now, and he usually just stood there. This time, his arms came up to her waist and wrapped around her, squeezing tightly.

"You look beautiful with your hair down." he murmured in her ear, and then released her quickly, taking a few steps back and groaning.

"Zuko, what's wrong?" she asked him worriedly, coming to his side. He shook his head and blushed again. "Why… why did you pull away when we kissed? Am I not- well… did I do it wrong?" she squeaked, completely mortified. When he looked up at her, she hid her face in her hands and turned away. "Oh, no, I'm so sorry I shouldn't have-"

"Tara, wait. You think I pulled away because you're not good at kissing?" he said, then laughed softly. "I broke the kiss because I didn't think you wanted it." Her blue eyes widened, and she began to speak but he help his hand up. "Hold on. The last month has been amazing for me. I was so worried when you were hurt, and I felt something that I thought wasn't possible for me. I didn't think I would be even feeling anything except hate and anger! But then you came, and things started to change. And then today, it was just a spur of the moment thing, and I thought of how disgusting it must have been to touch something like my scar." He looked away, bringing his hand to his face.

"Zuko, your scar has no effect on me. I don't care that it's there… I don't care that you're Fire Nation! Or, or that you think I'm just some peasant, I love… being around you," she finished lamely, and he felt his heart beat race. He stepped closer, and bent his head down. She met his lips with hers, and reached up, caressing his scar softly, not knowing if he could even feel it but wanting him to know just how much she cared about him. He whispered her name, and wove his hands through her hair, binding her body to his.

The next day, as they were walking through the hallways, Uncle Iroh invited them to tea in his room. Katara was no longer nervous around the retired general, she had even begun joking around with him. He was happy for his nephew, and very accepting of Katara. As they sat down, she looked around the room, gazing at all the artifacts from what seemed like all four nations. "Um, General Iroh?"

"You may call me Uncle" he smiled and then said, "but go on. You have a question?"

"Yeah, it's just that you have so many things from different nations, and I was wondering why." She remarked, and jumped a little bit when she felt Zuko grabbing her hand underneath the table. She relaxed and wove her slender fingers through his as Iroh stood up, gesturing grandly around the room.

"Katara, I have been many places in my time. To the ruins of the Air Nomad's temples, to the Earth Kingdom's capital, Ba Sing Se, although I regret laying siege to it in my younger years. I have even been to the Water Tribe's northern palaces, and discovered a place there with strangely healing properties. For each of these places I have been, I have retained a souvenir to remind myself of one thing: Just because many Fire Nation people believe we are the greatest nation, the other three nations have equal contributions to the world, and should never be forgotten."

Hearing him say these words was a shock. She found herself watching, fascinated as he pulled down articles off the wall and showed her earth bending scrolls, old Air Temple mosaics, a small vial of water from the Northern Water Tribe said to have immense healing powers.

"Healing? I can do that too! It's a special water bending technique. I've only ever had normal water to work with though. Do you think it can heal things a normal bender can't? she exclaimed excitedly, and looked to Zuko. He was frowning, lost in thought, but came out of it, and looked her straight in the eyes, smiling a little and brushing his scar subconsciously. She stiffened, then whipped her head around, accidentally smacking him in the face with her long hair. "Wait! Uncle Iroh, do you think it can heal scars?"


	6. Chapter 6: Healed

Healed

The silence in the room lasted for about a minute as the men attempted to comprehend what she was thinking. Then, Zuko turned to her, flashing her a brilliant smile that left her breathless. "Uncle, would it work? Could I really be free of this scar?" he shouted. Iroh stroked his beard, a glimmer of possibility in his eyes.

"There is nothing to lose by trying it." He reasoned, and smiled gently at his nephew. "But think about your choice before you make it. Do you really want to be free of it?"

Zuko stared at his hands, his mind rushing and spinning. He was quiet. This scar… it had been a daily reminder to him of his quest for regaining his honor. It symbolized his father's cruelty, and his family's lack of love. In a way, his scar was the first thing he thought about when he remembered why he hunted the Avatar.

But then she had come along. She'd shown him kindness and made him feel empathy, even when he had hated her for it. When she was attacked, he was irate in his protectiveness. And the Avatar was her best friend. During one of their conversations, she had pleaded with him to stop his chase and just let him go, let him save the world and destroy his father.

And Zuko was just now realizing that he had no problem doing that to make her happy. He raised his eyes, and met her gaze.

Katara watched as Zuko thought about his scar, about everything it represented. She felt a whip of panic strike at her heart and crawl up her throat. She wanted, no, needed to hear him say what he was thinking. This was torture- more than just a choice between giving up or keeping a mark on his face, this was about choosing the future, or the past. He was literally deciding whether or not to wipe his slate clean. And she found herself hoping that he would choose right. She had no idea what she would do if he didn't. And then he looked up, straight at her, and she could see it in his eyes.

"Katara?" he murmured, and she ran to him and squealed with happiness when he swept her up in a big hug, kissing her feverishly. Then he turned to his uncle, who had studiously ignored their embrace, instead sipping his tea. "Where's the water? She'll try." Iroh laughed out loud and clapped him heartily on the shoulder.

"Never have I been more proud of you, nephew. You are making the right decision, I know it." He walked over to his bed, and pulled a small vial from his bedside table drawer. He handed it to Katara, who eagerly uncorked the cap and bended the water inside to cover her hand. She gasped in surprise. It was so…alive, it was pulsating and responded better to her bending-like it was obeying her thoughts, not her movements. She lifted her hand to Zuko's scar as he closed his eyes, his heart beating crazily. She didn't hesitate, and pressed the water to his face.

Zuko heard a collective gasp from his uncle and Katara, and was overwhelmed immediately by the sensations he could finally feel in his left cheek. There was the slight tickle of wind across his eyelid, an itch near his ear, and he could feel the softness of her fingertips sweeping beneath his eye. He opened his eyes, and saw her face, closer to his than he'd thought. Her eyes shone, and she was smiling in awe.

"Zuko… It worked." she whispered, and he turned away from her to catch his reflection the mirror hanging on the wall. His face was finally free, he was finally free! He could see much better through his left eye, and there was no trace on the ugly, wasted red skin that had marred his complexion for the past years. He turned back to Katara, and held her proudly. _I am finally worthy of you_, he thought, and laughed, carefree. Then he turned to Iroh, grabbed him by the shoulders, smiling and happy. Iroh had tears of joy in his eyes, and pulled him in for a hug.

And suddenly, a crash echoed from over their heads, coming from the deck of the ship. Zuko darted to the doorway, hearing shouts and cries of terror from his men, and all happiness left him. He whirled around. "Katara, stay here, please, don't go above until I come back for you," he pleaded, but she grabbed his arm, tears in her eyes.

"No, Zuko I can take care of myself," she cried, and he looked to his uncle, who nodded then came up behind her and grabbed her, imprisoning her in the room. Zuko kissed her swiftly as she struggled, and turned away.

"If you were to get hurt, I don't know what I would do without you," he murmured, and then ran to help his soldiers. The sight that greeted his eyes on board was haunting. His fire benders were encased in ice, frozen where they stood in their stances, and the Avatar was rising above them, nothing but a whirlwind of fury. His eyes and tattoos glowed, and a hurricane whipped around him, howling for blood. He spoke, and his voice was other-worldly, enforced by all the Avatars he had once been.

"Where is Katara?" he rumbled, and Zuko stopped dead. He had come for her, and he found himself dreading what would happen next. He took up his bending stance, but hesitated to attack the boy. A million moments with Katara ran through his mind, her laughing, her crying out in fear when she was attacked, the look on her face when she'd healed him. And he found himself wondering if he was going to be the one who ripped her smile away from her soul by killing her best friend. He sighed, tilted his head down, and dropped to one knee, out of his fighting stance.

"Avatar Aang, the Water Tribe girl Katara is safe and well in my ship. She has not been a prisoner for the past month, but a guest. I know you are angry but there's no right to be, she and I have talked and become… friends, I guess." he shouted, feeling a little pang when he said the last word, hoping that he was more to her than just a friend-but now wasn't the time to think about it. He heard the winds die down, and looked up to see the young monk descending to his deck. His eyes were back to normal, and he looked weary, but still mistrustful.

"Where is she?" he spat out, and Zuko stood up.

"She's right below us with my uncle. I didn't know it was you who attacked us, I wanted her to be safe." Aang laughed derisively, and he could tell he didn't believe him. "I'll go and get her, she can tell you herself." he said, and looked the Avatar straight in the eye. He watched as his expression went from doubtful to flabbergasted as he took in Zuko's healed face.

He walked below deck and found Katara pacing in Uncle's room. She stopped when she saw Zuko, and ran to him, curling up against him as her body relaxed. He held on to her desperately, unsure of what would happen next, but pulled away and told her, "The Avatar has come. And he wants you to…to go back with him," he finished miserably. He closed his eyes against the tears, knowing that it was a mans job to comfort a woman, not break down in front of her. He felt her burrow closer against his shoulder, her head cradled in between his neck and collarbone, and she sniffed.

"I don't know what to do," she whispered, and he felt shock course through his body. Wasn't she sure of going back to him? "I love Aang as a friend but…." she looked up at him, stroked him cheek until his amber eyes opened and met her sapphire gaze. "I think I love you as something different."

He felt his whole body explode in elation, and he bent to her and kissed her roughly, pouring all of his emotions into her. "Oh, Tara," he muttered against her hair when the kiss ended, "I love you too."


	7. Chapter 7: Forgetting

Forgetting

Aang watched as Zuko reappeared on deck, leading Katara by the hand. She was dressed in unfamiliar clothing, and her hair was down… and she was looking at Zuko in a way that he didn't like. "Katara!" he yelled, and dropped his glider, running to her. She turned to him and caught him in a hug while Zuko stepped back, away from their reunion. He watched the younger boy's face and came to a horrible conclusion- Aang loved her too. He sighed, and Katara broke away from Aang, turning back to Zuko and threading her fingers through his once again. He had always wondered how they could fit so perfectly together, with his rough and strong, and hers, delicate and lengthy. But they did. Aang glared at Zuko, his grey eyes demanding an explanation.

"Katara, what are you doing?" he asked incredulously, and she blushed. At her stammered response of, "It's a long story." he turned his head away in disgust and responded that he had time and wanted to hear it.

"Um, before we go into all that, can you please unfreeze my men?" Zuko asked sheepishly, and Katara smiled at him over her shoulder as she stepped forward into her bending stance, she raised her arms high above her head fluidly, and flicked her wrists gracefully as she brought her arms down, and all the water melted. She was turning back to Zuko, an impish proud smile on her face when his men started firing at Aang.

Horror filled his body as he sprang forward, bowling her over to keep her from getting burned. He yelled at them to stop, but the fire was roaring in his ears, in his veins, and suddenly she was out of his arms, running to the Avatar. He was up and running after her, but he was too late.

She stepped in front of a fire blast, right into the air slice Aang had conjured. Zuko watched as the air threw her back into the wall, watched as the back of her skull hit a metal corner, causing her head to snap forward sickeningly. He watched as she started to fall, graceful and beautiful, and then he was there, she was in his arms and he was calling her name as he frantically checked her pulse, tried to stem the flow of blood from her head. He started to cry as he bent his face to her lips.

"No, oh Agni, Katara no, I can't lose you, please wake up, I love you. Damnit, I love you!" he yelled, tortured, and kissed her, willing her to respond. Then Aang was at his side, watching and whispering 'it's all my fault' again and again until it was blazing a tattoo in Zuko's mind as well. He pulled away, kissed her again, and suddenly felt her move. Her lips pushed forward hesitantly, and he broke the kiss to watch her eyes open. He breathed a great sigh of relief and held her close, and suddenly Iroh was there putting a cloth to her head wound and checking her for other damage. Zuko watched, entranced, not even bothering to notice how the fighting had stilled, just focusing on her. She smiled faintly, but it didn't reach her eyes.

"Who are you?" she murmured, and he froze, feeling his whole world come to a halt. She broke away from his gaze, and looked around. "Where's my brother? Where's Gran-Gran?" she said, tensing up in fear. She turned to Aang. "Wait. I… I think I remember you. But you came to us… we're not in the South Pole anymore?" she closed her eyes, breathing heavily, tearing Zuko's heart out as he realized what had happened. Uncle Iroh muttered the word 'amnesia' and the prince felt tears start fresh down his cheeks. Katara turned to him, and brushed his hair out of his eyes, touched a tear on his face, and it disappeared into her skin like she was absorbing a little piece of his soul. She had no idea that she already held it, held everything that lived inside of him.

"You." she said softly, "I think I'm supposed to know you, but I can't remember," she whimpered, and traced his lips. "This hurts." And suddenly, Aang was taking her from his arms and his bison was flying above them.

"I know where to find a healer," he shouted, "if we don't get her there soon she'll die." Without another word, he was blasting through the air onto his animal and flying away with Zuko's love in his arms. It wasn't right. Nothing was right, and just like always, Zuko was alone to face it. He felt his uncle's hand in his shoulder, and looked down, sickened at the blood on his hands, proof that he wasn't able to protect her. Then he looked at Iroh, who held the necklace Katara had said was her mothers, the blue ribbon stained purple but the pendant as pure as the moon which inspired it.

"Zuko, I believe this is fate. I believe that there was a reason this was left behind- you are meant to be with her, and when you can be together, you will have endless happiness. Until then, remember her with this." he said, wisdom accentuating every syllable.

"I couldn't protect her." he whispered, her last words echoing in his mind. "And now she's forgotten all about me." _This hurts. This hurts. This hurts this hurts this hurts - _"NO!" he screamed, letting all the agony in his body pour out of him, snake through his vocal cords and poison his mouth with all the dreams that were now closed to him forever. He sank to his knees, crumpled forward under the weight of his pain.

On Appa, things were different. The hurt was silent, save for her labored breathing and occasional groans from the flying bison. Aang was replaying the scene in his head, jumping around from the love between the girl he adored and his worst enemy, to the way she'd stepped out to save him and he'd almost killed her.

Katara didn't know where she was. They were somehow up in the air, and she was cold. The last thing she remembered was Aang coming to their tribe and going penguin sledding, and after that it was just a blank, until she'd woken up in that strange boys arms. He'd kissed her, and told her he loved her… and it was strange, but even though her mind didn't remember him, her body seemed to. There was a pang in her heart when she reached up to take his tears away, and lying in his arms felt right for no reason at all. What nobody realized was that she couldn't feel the wound in her head. She could barely feel her body, and when she had muttered the words, "This hurts," she was talking about the confusion of not knowing the man who held her, the one with the hypnotic golden eyes, and yet feeling so strongly that he was hers, and she was his. It hurt to see the agony in his eyes, and the pain and shock she caused by asking who he was. She sighed, and turned to Aang.

"Um, Aang? Who was the boy on the ship? And what happened since we went penguin sledding in the South Pole?" She asked timidly, and watched as the boy sighed, then turned to face her, not meeting her eyes.

"The boy is Prince Zuko. And we all…well, all of us hate him. Including you." he finished. It was wrong to lie, and he knew it, but Katara was not supposed to love Zuko, she was supposed to fall in love with him! He would do anything for her, even if it meant getting rid of her future with another boy. Especially the enemy. He watched her face for her reaction. She looked shocked at first, and troubled, but he knew that if she didn't remember loving him as she so obviously had, then things would just be easier.


	8. Chapter 8: Epilogue

Epilogue

It took her a while to recall the time she had spent with the Avatar. Even when she tried to remember her time with Zuko as a prisoner, she only recalled an attack in her room, and for some reason, healing his scar. She supposed he'd forced her to do it, because as Aang had said, they all hated him.

But still, in her dreams she sometimes remembered strange things, like an unfamiliar laugh, or his voice, gentle and caring. She sometimes thought she was waking up under a robe that seemed to belong to him, but it again turned out to be a dream and she would wake up for real, crying and reaching out for someone who wasn't there.

Right after she was all healed up, they traveled to Kyoshi Island, but Sokka was focused on her well being and turned down the advanced of their head warrior maiden, Suki. They went on to the North Pole, where they stopped the Fire Nation's invasion of the Water Tribe, and Katara was given a vial of the water from the Spirit Oasis-something that for some reason was so familiar to her that she broke down, crying in earnest with no explanation as to why she recognized it.

And through all of this, Zuko hunted her, and the Avatar. He wore her pendant tucked inside his robes, and when they met at the North Pole he could tell that it was not the time for her to remember, for her to fall in love with him again. It tore him apart, but he attacked her, and took the very boy who had stolen away her memories of their time together. He regretted it soon afterwards though. He knew he had hurt her by taking Aang, and was glad when it didn't turn out.

Aang met Toph, his earth bending teacher, a blind little twelve year old tomboy who quickly became best friends with Sokka. And when Appa was stolen they went to Lake Laogi, and Katara was unexpectedly thrown in a rock prison with Zuko.

And this is where Part Two Begins.


End file.
